Material-feeding device



Dec. 4, 1928. A 1,693,728

T. F. RAINSFORD MATERIAL FEEDING DEVICE Filed June 22, 1925 3Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE Y.

Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,728

'r. F. RAINSFORD MATERIAL FEEDING DEVICE Filed June 22, 1925 3Sheets-Sheet 2 45' [I 1 IV 10R.

ATTORNEY.

Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,728 T. F. RAINSFORD MATERIAL FEEDING DEVICE FiledJune 22, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 4, 1928 UNITED STATES]PATIENTFOFFICE. J

T OMAS E. BAINSFORD, or 'nn'rnorr, MICHIGAN, Assmiion rro wmmnmnjimsfmnns, me, or RIVER ROUGE, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

MATERIAL-FEEDING DEVICE. l

Application filed June 22,

The invention relates tomaterial feeding devices but has particularreference to spoke feeding apparatus for use in connection with spokeforming machines. 1

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which willintermittently feed a continuous length of material to a device, suchfor'instance as a shearing'punch, whereby the material may be severedinto in lengths suitable for forming spokes and the like. As will becomemore readily apparent hereafter, however, the material feeding apparatusherein described is capable of. many other adaptations and uses than thespecific is one herein referred to. p

The invention has as other objects, to simplify, render more efiicient,and improve gen: erally devices of this character, and these, as well asadditional objects, advantages, and

as novel features of construction will be made more apparent asthisdescription proceeds, especially when considered. in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary sideelevation 2bof a shearing punch with myinvention attached thereto, I

Figure 2-is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1, 2

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the feeding 30 mechanism, 7 Y

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the reciprocatingcarriage of the feeding device, I V g Figure 5 is a top plan view of thestructure 35 illustrated in Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is an'end elevation ture illustrated in Figure 4.

Referring now particularlytothe dIRWIDgS wherein like referencecharacters indicate 40 like parts, it will be noted that thereferencecharacter 10 indicates generally the base or bed plate of'a materialsevering orcuttlng device such as a shearing punch,'and isprovided witha die 11 and a shearing punch 12, 415 the latter part beingreciprocableby any suitable mechanism for severing a strip ofrnaterial13, which has been fed forward by mechanism yet to be described, intosuitable lengths in the formation of spokes. Obvi 50 ously any suitableor desired type of material severing. apparatus maybe; employed as wellas any othertype of apparatusdesigned to successively form or fashionthe advanced work-piece or strip13. The essential func- 55 tion ofinvention, however, is to suearranged angular bar 26 carriedby the carofthe struc 1925. Serial No. 38,949.

cessively feed the strip of material 13: or

ranged-axles 17 upon which may also be mounted spacing sleeves 18 forproperly} spacing rollers 16 for engagement withlthe 'io tra'ckways 19of a track bar 20. i i P ivoted upon a transversely arranged rod or bar21 mounted in forwardly arranged upwardly extending projecting portions22., of the side plates of the frame, are a plus 1 rality of grippingfingers or dogs 23. The fingers or dogs 23. are such a length as to.as-'

:sume the inclined position shown in Figure 4; when the lower endsthereof 24 engage the a stock strip 13, the gripping fingers beingnormally urged rearwardly or into engagement with the stock'stripbymeans of coil springs 25 connected thereto and to' a transversely riageframe.

The stock. striprests upon a pluralityof rollers 27 mounted uponashaft28 arranged transversely of the carriage frame, these rollerspreferably corresponding in number to the gripping fingers 23. Theactive direc-' tion of travel of carriage 14 is lIlCllCltGdxbY v thearrow A in Figure 4, and from the structure thus far described it willbe readily'ap-x parent that during this movement of carriage 14 thestock strip 13 willbe gripped between the fingers 23 and rollers 27 andcarried forward with the carriage I l, but that'upon the reversemovement of this carriage fingers 23 will slip idly over the stock stri13 without moving the same. Therefore, uringare- 1m ciprocation of thecarriage the stock strip 13 will be successively movedforwardv apredetermined distance depending upon the dis tance the carriage 14Lhas'been moved.v

Mounted preferably upon the base orzbed ioe plate 10 of the shearingpunch is abracket plate 2Swhich is providedwitha pair of upwardlyextending inclinedarms 29, the adjacent upper ends'of which are securedtogetherbybolt 30 which extends inwardly 11 i carried by the other armthe bolt also passing throu h a sleeve-like boss 31 carried b' one 2:: J

of the varms 29 and into a sloeve-like boss32 through the end of trackbar before referred to. Thus the outer end of track bar 20 is supportedin the proper horizontal posi tion, the other end of this track barpreferably-resting upon and being secured to a portion projectingupwardly from the 10 base or bedplat'e 10 of the shearing punch. Thetrack bar is provided wlth an upstandmg end portion 34 to llmit themovement of car ria e 14 in one direction.

K rock shaft 35 is mounted in spacedbear ingsBG and 37carriedrespectively by arms 38 and 39 projecting'in a downward direction fromthe lower portion of bracket plate 28. cThis shaft 35 which is rocked bya mechanism yet tobe described, has fixed any suitable means butpreferably by or in synchromsm wlth the power mechanism for by bracketplate 28'.

in bearing supports 56lby means of pins 58 thereto forrotationtherewitha lever 40 sleeved as at 41' and fixed to the shaft- 35 as, forinstance, by means of a set screw 42.

The upper end of the lever40 bifurcated to form a pairv of spacedv forkportions 43, which in turn are pivotally connected as at 44 to, a pairof links 45 pivotally connected as at 46 to the frame of carriage 14.Consequently upon a rocking or shart 35 lever 40: will be rocked throughthe connections just described and will reciprocate carriage.

14 along the traokways on track bar 20. The bifurcated portions 43 oflever 40 permit'an uninterrupted passage of stock strip 13 therebetween;

V A-brace or link 4Ziextends' from bearing sleeve 36 tothe supportingconnection for the end of track bar-20, whereby an angular bracingeffect for the partsis obtained.

Fixed to the other end of rock shaft 35 is a short lever 48 sleeved asat 49 and fixed to shaft 35 by suitable means such vfor instance as setscrew 50. m The lower end of lever 48 is pivoted by a pin 51 to a pairof linksc52,whichin turn arepivotally con- .nected to areciprocableyoke-like member which comprises a shaft 53 to theends of whicharesecured sleeve bearings 54 recipro cably mounted upon a pair of guiderods 55. 5' carried in bearing supports 56 mounted on arms 5'? carriedeither directly or indirectly Guide rods 55 are fixed or the like, andsurrounding'these guide rods are coil springs59 which engage bearingsupports 56 at one end and sleeves 54 at the other, thus normally urgingthe reciprocable yoke-like member to the right into the position shownin Figure 1.

engaged by a cam member 61 rotatable about a shaft 62. The cam- 61may berotated by operating the shearing punch.

Obviously upon rotation of cam member Mounted upon, a shaft 53 isaroller'60 which adapted to be 61 the yoke member will ibe moved'alongguiderods 56 against the action ofsprings 59 by the engagement of this cammember with roller 60. Inasmuch as the yoke mem-, I ber is connected tolever 48 shaft 35wil'l be" rocked and in" consequence thereof'lever 40will be rocked and through the connections between this lever andcarriage 14 the latter willlbe moved alon track bar 20. WVhen roller 60arrives at t is abrupt face 63 of the cam 'meinberit will be abruptlyreturned by thesprings59 to its original starting posimanner toitsextreme lel'thand position.

in practice the gripping fingers23 of carriage l4 engage the stock strip13 only dur:

-tion andoarriage 14 Will be returned in a like i ing-the movement ofthe carriage toward the right thereby advancing or feeding the stockstrip toward the severing punch a distance equal to the distancetraveled by carriage 14. During the return or idle movement of thecarriage 14 the fingers 23 will slide over the stock strip 13, thismovement being against the action of springs 25. As mentioned, the

action of cam 61 on the mechanism for rocking lever 40' issuch as toadvance the carriage at a relativelysteady speed, while the retractionof the'carriage occursabruptly," this latter operation being controlledby the abrupt face 63 ofthe cam memberand the action of springs 59. Itwill furthermore be apparent that by providing a pluralityof fingers 23stock strips of various widths may be fed with equal facility andfurthermore,

owing to the fact that each of the fingers 23 is normally urged intooperative position by the, springs 25, stock strips ofvarious or uneventhicknesses may likewise be handled with I facility. r r r.

While one embodiment of the invention as well as itsapplication to oneform of apparatus has been described and illustrated herein somewhat indetail, it will be readily apparent tothose skilledinthis art thatvarious changes and modifications in thefdetailsof construction, as wellas association, may be ilU resorted to without departingfrom the spiritvand scope ofthe; invention, and to this end reservation is made to makesuch changes as may come wlt'hin the purvlew of the accom panymgolanns;V V

What I claim as my inventionis z i 1. In a material feeding'apparatus,areciprooable carriage, a plurality of transverse ly arranged fingerscarried by said carriage fori frictionally engaging the material to befed, and a plurality of rollersscarried by said a means u onsaid shaftadapted toengage one it side of t e material'to be fed, and a pluralitylie of transversely arranged fingers also carried by said carriage andengageable with the opposite side of the material to grip the samebetween the said fingers and means aforesaid.

3. In a material feeding apparatus, a reeiprocable carriage, revolublemeans carried by and extending transversely of said carriage adapted toengage one side of the material to be fed and a plurality oftransversely arranged fingers also Carried by the carriage andengageable with the opposite side of the material to grip the samebetween the said fingers and revoluble means. 7

4. In a material feeding apparatus, a reciprocable carriage, a shaftcarried by and extending transversely of said carriage, a memberrotatably mounted upon the said shaft and engageable with one side ofthe material to be fed, and a series of transversely arranged fingersmounted upon an extension of said carriage and engageable with theopposite side of the material to grip the same between the fingers andthe member aforesaid.

5. In a material feeding apparatus, a reciprocable carriage, a shaftjournaled in and extending transversely of said carriage substantiallybelowthe plane of travel of the material to be fed, meansupon the saidshaft engageable with the bottom surface of the material, and meansoarriedby the carriage above the plane of travel of the material andengageable with the top surface of the latter to normally urge the sameinto engagement with said first mentioned means.

6. In a material feeding apparatus, a reciprooable carriage, a shaftjournaled in and extending transversely of said carriage substantiallybelow the plane of travel of the material to be fed, a series of rollerscarried by said shaft and engageable with the bottom.

surface of the material, and a plurality of transversely arrangedfingers mounted upon said carriage above the plane of travel of thematerial and engageable with the top surface of the latter to urgethesameinto engagement with the said rollers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. I

THOMAS F. RAINSFORD.

